Following the announcement of the Montenegrin government that it will destroy the church of the Holy Trinity at the top of Mt. Rumija, His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle sent the following letter to the President of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, Mr. Svetozar Marovic.

Like all faithful of the Serbian Orthodox Church, I was deeply disturbed by the news that government officials in Montenegro intend to destroy the church of the Holy Trinity at the top of Mt. Rumija. In doing so they have forgotten that the appropriate church officials and institutions did not wish to imperil the integrity and security of Montenegro, their own homeland, from the top of Mt. Rumija but to fulfill the centuries-old desire of the people of that region to rebuild the holy shrine destroyed by the Turks in 1571. From then to today Orthodox faithful from the region – with the participation until very recently of Roman Catholic and Islamic believers – carried a stone or two up the mountain every year on the feast of the Holy Trinity to the church site on the top of Rumija (hence the toponym Crkvina!) [literally, church site] intended for the restoration of this destroyed but not forgotten holy shrine of the people. I ask myself whether four and a half centuries of memory and clear desire on the part of the people have any importance or significance on the guardians of law and order in a land of law and order?

In the same context, I also wonder who is bothered by a solitary chapel on top of a mountain, closer to heaven, than to the Earth, and why? I have seen and heard all manner of things during the course of my life. Unfortunately, I know of many human misdeeds. Nevertheless, I could not even imagine that it should occur to anyone, let alone the heads of state in the land of St. Jovan Vladimir, St. Simeon the Myrrh-gusher, St. Sava, St. Peter of Cetinje, St. Basic of Ostrog and so many other of God’s chosen, to destroy the church of the Holy Trinity, already destroyed once by the force and fury of foreigners. Such sacrilegious evil acts have in the past been carried out only by conquerors and enemies both on the territory of Montenegro and on the territory of Serbia. It has never yet occurred – except in the similar instance of the chapel of Njegos on Lovcen – that we do something like this to ourselves and that we defile our honor permanently before future generations.

While there is still time for reason and for responsible behavior, I ask you, Mr. President, before God and the people, as a native son of Montenegro and as the head of the state union, to use your name, position and influence to prevent this evil act and to stop this shame from befalling us. In your position, you can do this if you so desire; in my position, I have the right to expect and ask this of you for many reasons, including on behalf of our forefathers and our descendants.

I am convinced that no one should permit himself to accept the horrible responsibility or, more accurate, this crying irresponsibility of completing by his own hand this act of destruction, carried out by the same hands of the conquerors in long ago 1571. I hope that no one will dare to burden his own conscience by such a crime and by such sacrilege. He who lacks sufficient fear of God and human honor should at least hesitate before the faith and honor of the many domestic Muslims who, shoulder to shoulder with their brothers of Orthodox and Roman Catholic faith, carried stones through the centuries to the top of Mt. Rumija for the restoration of the destroyed holy shrine.

One more final question, Mr. President, for you and for all of us: Who in this country today would even imagine destroying any holy shrine except that of the majority Serbian Orthodox Church and its churches and monasteries?

I have spoken and saved my soul.

Once again, Mr. President, please accept my expressions of respect and good wishes.

Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci and Serbian Patriarch

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